had let hate override his judgment.” Her words were soft as she felt her way toward what she wanted to say. The smell of his soap brought a measure of peace. She breathed it in and traced the corded muscles in his forearms, the blue veins that carried his precious lifeblood. “Will you ever take up the pulpit again? You’d make a fine preacher.”
“Hope’s Crossing has the only minister it needs with Brother Paul. I’m done with preaching. All I want to do is to be your husband. Thank you for being kind to Calder.”
“You teach me how every single day.”
“I don’t know about that.” Ridge kissed her cheek. “I need to finish the chores and go into town. I have to help put the barn back together.”
“I’d like to go with you if you don’t mind.” She watched a happy light fill his eyes.
“I was hoping you might.”
The screen door opened, and Bodie stepped into the kitchen. “Hoped she might what?”
Addie laughed. The boy was getting comfortable with them and had lost his fear of Ridge—if he ever had much to start with. “We’re going to town. Want to come?”
“I might. Sawyer, Henry, and me talked about going hunting today.”
Addie and Ridge shared a raised-eyebrow look.
“You did, did you?” she asked.
Bodie shrugged. “Yeah, they’re pretty fun to be with.”
“So you’re over wanting to fight them?” Ridge grabbed a cold biscuit and took a bite.
“Yep.”
Addie patted his arm. “What about Violet?”
“She said she’s writing Noah Legend. She’s too young for me anyway.” Bodie took the last cold biscuit from the plate and went out the door.
“The love life of the young.” Addie laughed.
Town was a hotbed of activity when they arrived an hour later for the town meeting. Angus O’Connor presented his plans, and Charlotte Wintersby talked about the bank. Then after various others spoke about it being time to quit hiding and walk in the sunshine, they took a vote. It was unanimous to open the back passage. Everyone scattered to begin the town’s transformation. One group worked in the community barn, and others had already started to remove the large boulders that had been put in place years ago to block the back entrance when the town was little more than an outlaw hideout, the old Devil’s Crossing.
Addie joined Tally, Nora, and Melanie, who’d gathered to watch Charlotte Wintersby organize the young men moving her into the new bank—and to add their two cents if asked.
“This is exciting, to have so much going on in one day.” Addie scanned the town and smiled when she saw Ridge rolling up his shirtsleeves and moving to help the men loading sleds with the gigantic rocks.
“I think this is just the beginning.” Nora brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “Soon, our town will have everything the larger communities do.”
Tally draped her arm around Addie and Nora and leaned in. “Clay said Dr. Mary is going to enlarge her hospital and add six more beds. That is, if she stays. I have a feeling that if that handsome Irishman heads back to Kansas City, she may go with him. I wouldn’t blame her one bit.”
Nora giggled. “Who knew she had him stashed away?”
Addie found an opening to give her predictions. “Personally, I think we’ll see a wedding. If we’re lucky, maybe two—Eleanor and George.”
Peter Stone, Martha Truman’s handsome brother, walked past carrying a beautiful oil painting of a seaside town. “Where would you like this hung, Miss Charlotte?”
Charlotte laid a finger to her chin in thought. The sunlight caught the brown of her twinkling eyes, and her features softened. “I should put it out where patrons could enjoy it, but I’m going to be selfish. Hang it in my office, facing my desk.”
Peter smiled and winked. “Wise choice. Nothing wrong in being a little selfish.”
After he went inside, Addie moved to the banker’s side. “I don’t like to pry, but I get the feeling that painting means something special to you.”
“It holds very fond memories and is a place where I was happiest.” Charlotte forced a laugh. “I fear I’m quite a sentimentalist.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. We all cling to certain meaningful moments.” Except for Addie, those moments had all seemed to come after she’d become Ridge’s wife. She chose to erase everything that occurred before that.
“It’s gone now, and I must move on. Love isn’t meant to last. Not for me.”
“You might be surprised. You can make new memories and be happy again.”
“I will try, and who knows?